


Red is my favourite colour

by Ramblamb



Category: Far Cry 3
Genre: F/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:50:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramblamb/pseuds/Ramblamb
Summary: Death was a strange concept for her. The island was full of it and yet she felt conflicted. When her mother was taken by the red men, kept in a crate then forced onto a boat never to be seen again, she had wept, clutching her father and trying to understand why she was being taken, why they couldn’t fight for her (she knows now that the weapons the red men had would have killed them in an instant). When her father had approached the blue people she had hope, but he was cut down with large knives within minutes and she wept again, this time alone. It was smart of her father to give her binoculars and place her on a hill a while away as he went looking for protection. Neither of them had thought the blue people would refuse to listen to him. These deaths had hurt her, but when she found dead animals or killed weak beasts she felt nothing, even when she came across other human corpses she felt nothing (but kept their locations in her mind just in case she needed food desperately).
Relationships: Vaas Montenegro/Original Character(s), Vaas Montenegro/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first work, please be gentle

She sat in the shade of the large jungle trees. Simply watching the things around her, a snake on a branch, what looked to be a boar a small distance away from her? It didn’t matter she didn’t need to know. Silent and patient she waited. She stood at 5 foot 8 inches, though you couldn’t tell as she spent much of her time hunched over in a permanent pouncing stance. Her hair, a sign of how long she had been on the island was long, reaching down to her lower back, though again you couldn’t tell as it was plated into a sturdy bun with a scrunchy that had been looted from the red men. It most likely started as a bright colour, but dirt and age had left it as a dark brown. Her body was a mix between strength and exhaustion. Going days without food then binging on a kill had conditioned her not to feel hunger but she could not gain a lot of muscle without constant protein. But she paid it no mind, her body worked, it could sprint, climb or crawl silently and that’s all she needed. Coming to the island as a child meant her teenage years were spent caring about survival, not looks. In a different life maybe she would have cared more, looked at her heavily lidded eyes with distain or her square jaw with irritation but out here, in the wild, there was no reason for it. 

The days were always slow, in the jungle; most of the life here only came out at night. Sometimes she hunted at night, for larger kills, but it was dangerous. The red men, the blue people or the predators were constant threats and though she watched them from a distance she would prefer for her existence to go unnoticed until her death. Death was a strange concept for her. The island was full of it and yet she felt conflicted. When her mother was taken by the red men, kept in a crate then forced onto a boat never to be seen again, she had wept, clutching her father and trying to understand why she was being taken, why they couldn’t fight for her (she knows now that the weapons the red men had would have killed them in an instant). When her father had approached the blue people she had hope, but he was cut down with large knives within minutes and she wept again, this time alone. It was smart of her father to give her binoculars and place her on a hill a while away as he went looking for protection. Neither of them had thought the blue people would refuse to listen to him. These deaths had hurt her, but when she found dead animals or killed weak beasts she felt nothing, even when she came across other human corpses she felt nothing (but kept their locations in her mind just in case she needed food desperately). These events happened years ago, before she became a woman, the climate on the island was consistent so the concept of years quickly vanished from the girls mind, most of her knowledge of life before the island had disappeared. If it wasn’t needed for survival then it wasn’t important enough to keep. She had struggled, so much so that even now she was surprised she had lived. The base her parents had crafted, in the cave by the beach with the supplies from their raft was where she almost starved to death for the first time. Terrified beyond reason she had refused to step foot out of it, scared of the red men and the blue people. The pain and weakness from hunger was reduced by the fresh water that ran down the cave walls. But this too was not enough after a while. 

Still full of grief, the young child had left the cave, no weapon, no knowledge and with most of her mind not thinking straight she searched for food. For months she had tried to sustain herself on fruits and berries. Occasionally she’d feast on meat from an animal that had already been killed and fed from. But that was a rare occurrence and so couldn’t be relied on. Months turned into years and with the changes her body went through her mind became more confident in her abilities. She would spy on the people of the island, see where they lived, what they did in their day to day lives and when they celebrated and drank late into the night she would steal from them. A hair band here and there, clothes, water canteens, and a map that had writings on it she couldn’t decipher.

She had also found a hunting knife. In the red mans territory. It was being used as a grave marker, but after many days of waiting no one came to visit the grave so she kept it for herself. It was a good knife, a tad blunt but with good grip was always lethal. The engravings on the handle had intrigued her. Tribal looking and obviously a tribute to the tigers that roamed, it had filled her with glee to have it in her possession.  
She knew she had gone mad. Years of being alone and being cooked by the sun had damaged her mind in ways that couldn’t be fixed. But it didn’t bother her. She lived by her instincts and every day that she survived made her happy. Over the years she had had her moments of weakness where the memories of being hugged or being in two way conversations became too much for her and she sought out other humans. She had found herself so close to the others, blue or red it didn’t matter, within touching distance but her gut would command her to stay hidden and stay silent. She knew she would never be the one to make contact, but sometimes before she slept her heart would cry out her location, hoping beyond hope that one of them would find her, even if they killed her or worse at least it meant she wasn’t alone anymore. 

The woman was intelligent, if she had finished her education chances are she would have gone to university and lived a full life of reading, research and knowledge finding but that wasn’t something she thought about. The jungle provided her with other knowledge, things that weren’t taught in a classroom. She learnt what water was safe, how much strength was needed to pierce the throat of a kill, when to latch on to a predator and when to run with all of her strength. Through her observations she learnt that she didn’t need to be afraid when she had become a woman, that humans didn’t have a mating season and that if you found a baby animal, never try to kill the mother. The family would rot before she could eat all of them. Fire was another thing the jungle had taught her. While sitting she scoffed. Twice she had smoked herself out of her cave because she didn’t make the connection between fire and smoke. She knew better now. She also knew to wear bandages or cloth around her forehead and nose while making a fire as the act was a long one and seeing her own sweat dampen a burning ember had brought her to tears more times than she could count. But again, she knew better now. 

Beneath her the boar fell. The sound of the bullet hadn’t even finished before her body jumped into the action of climbing the tree behind her. Whistles and shouts were heard beneath her as she climbed into the canopy. When she knew she was hidden she rearranged herself so she could watch the people below. They were red men; tanned muscular men with guns and red t-shirts. The men had surrounded the kill and one lifted it onto his shoulders. Curiously, one of the men walked closer to her tree. He had a strip of black thick hair on top of his scalp and matched her with scars on the skin she could see. He walked the jungle like her. As most predators did, he sniffed the air, slowly turning to get a good sense of what was around. The woman had no fear as she knew he would not smell her. The blue people often painted themselves with dust and dyes, these smells would latch onto the plants around them and could be smelt, the red men often kept fires and could be identified by the smoke that never left them. Even the captives that the red men kept (she had learnt a long time ago that they weren’t blue people and were people like her parents, outsiders) had scents, thin liquids on their necks and wrists that clogged the back of her throat would saturate the cages they inhabited. She bathed to get rid of her occasional smoke smell, she didn’t paint her body with powders or thin liquids and the blood on her clothes was long dry. She was safe from this predator. 

He completed his circle but didn’t move, slowly he reached for his weapon and she mirrored him. His gun in his right hand, her knife in her right hand they froze. The other red men had fallen silent at their brother’s stance looking around them and forming a protective circle around the man who held the kill. The woman focused on the red predator below her and tried to smell what he could. Ignoring her own heart beat and deep breaths she listened. In a neighbouring tree she could see the leaves moving, likely ants or a snake, nothing to be worried about, the distant birds still made their calls and the nearby river could be heard masking all smaller sounds. Through deep inhales she tried to smell her surroundings. 

The man had dark eyes, hard features and the walk of a tiger. She would not win in a fight with him. The others she could possibly take, it they had knives instead of guns, but this one... He would win and it looked like he knew it. 

He turned his head slowly, looking at the ground around him then lazily faced the tree she had been leaning on and now hid in. His eyes slowly raked up the bark of the tree bouncing from branch to branch, tracing the path she had taken to get to her hiding spot. He tried to peer into the depths of the canopy but human eyes were not designed to look into this much foliage, she was still safe. He squinted then grinned. The man swiftly turned towards his men and whistled “hermano, you see this?” he pointed to the ground then to the slight scratch marks on the tree. “You see the marks? The panthers are back!”.


	2. Chapter 2

He lunged towards his men, clapping two on their backs he laughed, throwing his head back while doing so. The other red men joined in on his laugh but obviously weren’t as enthusiastic. The woman stayed still and observed the group. “Amigos, we need more skins yes?” The predator asked, though it wasn’t clear if he was looking for an answer. The men around him nodded, probably hoping that they weren’t going to be the ones to kill the ‘panther’. This was bad, a terrible situation to find oneself in. The woman knew this and began to look at the branches below her. If they began firing and she wasn’t shot dead then she’d have to jump and bolt because if the caught her, the Gods only know what they’ll do to her.

No longer listening to the red men below her she repositioned herself. Beneath her was a sturdy branch that would take out a third of the fall, she’d just have to hope that she fell correctly and rolled enough to not break an ankle or worse. 

Tuning back into the conversation she noticed the man with the thick hair facing himself back towards her tree, he told the men of the first shot he’d give to see if the ‘panther’ would drop down to fight them or scatter. That was the signal to leap. With his men nodding their understanding he lifted his gun (the action being matched by the woman securing her knife in the string contraption attached to her belt loops) and before too long the singular shot rang out. Knowing a rainfall of bullets would meet her if she didn’t move now, she dropped.

The noise of her fall and the subsequent reveal of her body shocked the men and for this she was grateful, even if she’d only realise it later. Without thinking she leapt from the branch and fell to the forest floor, tucking her arms into her chest, and landing on her feet then immediately rolling to preserve her bones. Without thinking, looking or breathing really, she burst into a sprint away from the men. The jungle was on her side as the path she had taken took her downhill so the bullets that rang out after her soared above her head and gave her time to gain some ground. She could hear the shouting and cursing of the men behind her. Obviously, they were not expecting a fully grown adult human being to drop from the heavens. 

While she ran she thought of nothing but her surroundings. The placement of the trees, the levels of the branches and various pieces of greenery flew past her. Her years of outrunning hunts gone wrong and pissed off birds that were far too territorial had given her confidence to trust her feet not to fall out from beneath her. And so she continued to fly through the jungle, steadily losing the red men behind her while the man with the thick hair remained at the tree. This has taken him by surprise and he’d punish himself for it later, but in this moment of privacy under the thick canopy of the jungle he allowed himself a true genuine smile. “This could be entertaining” he murmured to the air around him.


	3. Chapter 3

Only when her body began to cry out in exhaustion did she begin to slow down, she couldn’t stop until she had a vantage point so as she jogged she searched above her for some trees that she could climb. It wasn’t hard to find one. Many of the island trees bore fruit and so in order to spread its seeds the fruit had to be obtainable. Picking a sizeable tree she climbed and once again found herself in the canopy. Here she made herself comfortable and waited. Through her previous spying she knew the red men had dogs, vicious things however loyal to the end. They’d continue to tear her apart even as she stabbed them, if they ever got a hold of her. That’s why in her retreat she had crossed 2 streams, hoping to buy herself enough time for her scent to disappear and make her untraceable. But as she waited she became sure that she needn’t worry. No barks or pants could be heard, the gunshots had long stopped and there was no smell of smoke. But still, to be safe she’d stay awake tonight, stay in her tree as long as possible and hope that no other predators used it as a hangout spot. The branch she resided on seemed precarious at best and she doubted that a larger predator would use it as a rest spot as it would surely break under its weight. She had been beneath a tiger before, had the raised scars on her back to prove it, and felt certain that she wouldn’t be confronted by anything bigger than her tonight. 

The red men most likely assumed her to be one of the blue people even if she didn’t wear their colours and was way out of their territory. In all her time spying she had never seen one of their captives escape so while they could assume she was a prisoner it was a slim chance. Speaking of prisoners she was reminded of the few hunting games that the red men had organised over the years: namely letting a captive run for their lives for a while before gunning them down or letting the jungle work its magic. Each group tending to take care of their corpses, usually burning them; but the captives, they were left to feed the animals of the jungle or fertilize the ground as they rot. She sometimes used them as landmarks if they weren’t dragged into dens or into the trees. As a child finding corpses hanging from the trees had given her nightmares. But since then she had learnt that it’s simply an animal’s way of claiming a corpse as its next meal. She would probably do the same thing if she had the strength to lift her kills into the air. She had taken to stripping her kills of fur and meat at the killing site and lugging that home instead of carrying the entire beast. She was strong but she wasn’t strong like that red man with the boar. Her advantage lay in her speed. And as the sky began to darken she knew she may have to use that speed more during the next few hours. 

Various noises gave her frights throughout the night. She often though she heard voices coming from the ground below but she knew how her mind played tricks on her sometimes. She knew for a fact that without the dogs the red men would need light in order to follow any tracks she might have left and she hadn’t heard a single sound that their dogs would make. She had to keep reminding herself what were stars and what wasn’t. It wouldn’t do her well to mistake the glint in the eye of a predator as a simple star trying to light the world around her. The moon was small tonight, so there wasn’t much she could see, she reckoned even on the ground she’d struggle to see 10 feet in front of her and without electricity and with very little fire she was very accustomed to living in the dark. 

As time crawled on she regretted her actions. If she had paid more attention to where she was fleeing maybe she could have made it back to her bed instead of this tree. But she knew after some rest her regrets would disappear. It always paid to be safe. It’s why she didn’t venture to the small island with the town on it. People were always loud and drunk there and the women who lived and worked there opened her up to the knowledge of sex between humans. While she had never witnessed or taken part in the act, the stories the women would tell each other left little to the imagination. 

As she matured she had judged the men of the island. Some she deemed as suitable mates, but the idea of a child truly terrified her, hence why she had never approached one of the drunken men for a single night in his bed. Now that she thought of mates her mind brought up the profile of the man with thick hair under her tree. He was sharp and tough, stronger than most things on the island and if he was the same man with thick hair who often took charge and led the other red men back in the camps then she knew he’d be able to give her and any offspring protection. His body told her that he knew how to hunt and how to kill animals and humans alike and that skill was invaluable. Even if he did get his tracks confused sometimes he’d still make a better match than some of the other men she had seen. She had caught many red men eating berries that should have been burnt and suffering the consequences and she had caught many blue men confidently walking into traps that they themselves had laid. Overall, it was probably for the best that she didn’t try to peruse a mate. 

As she contemplated the fantasy of sharing a bed with someone the night wore on bringing with it rare security as the red men were ordered not to hunt the strange woman who climbed like a panther and escaped like exhaled smoke.


	4. Chapter 4

Like always night turned into day. She judged the dawn sky, its purples and yellow streaks beautiful yet not her main focus. She needed to get back to her cave and sleep. With this thought she gathered her remaining strength and climbed back down the tree she had chosen as her temporary outpost. Her body hurt. It often did but today it was a more intense pulsing kind of hurt. The fall from the tree was executed almost perfectly and no bones were broken or twisted. If she had to do it again she’d try to focus on protecting her face as the dried blood from hitting twigs and roots was beginning to bother her. With her feet safely on the ground she twisted her back and rolled out her shoulders, to get the blood moving again before setting off in the direction of the still dark part of the sky. She knew that her cave was on the end of the island that got the least amount of sun. 

While walking the girls thoughts wondered. About the red men, panthers, a fire and quite frankly a bath. That’s what she needed. Picking up her pace she moved towards the nearest river. The great thing about this island is water wasn’t in short supply all you needed to do was be quiet and you’d find it.

What the girl reached wasn’t quite a river but it would work for a quick bath. Taking notes of her surroundings she undressed. Fashion had never been a priority for her, even before coming to the island, so her simple black t-shirt, faded cargo trousers and belt were the majority of what she wore. She had had shoes when she arrived but they were destroyed before she could outgrow them. The jungle terrain was no match for the simple fabric of a kid’s trainer. When the shoes had become un-wearable she was still too scared to steal from the red men’s supplies so she simple went without. The blue people didn’t always wear shoes and so long as she didn’t stand on any of the bright frogs she would be fine. Now her feet were tough and wouldn’t bleed when she walked along the sharp rocks on the mountains. Maybe the scars she acquired as she grew up helped, after all her feet were the most abused part of her body. Maybe she should start walking around on her hands to give them a break. 

She laughed to herself, grinning while untying her hair, what a funny image. Trying to run down a boar like that, if she went after another human they might just faint from the shock of seeing such an odd way to walk. 

“What are you smiling at cariño? 

There leaning against a tree trunk across the water stood the red predator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is very short, ill try to get another one out today to make up the word count, this just seemed like a good spot to end the chapter


	5. Chapter 5

Immediately the girl crouched, one knee almost touching the floor and both hands in front of her to protect both her face and her torso. He was leaning comfortably, like he had been there a while.

As the silence between them grew, he simply raised his eyebrow. She realised he had asked a question. “I’m smiling at a thought I had” She replied in a quiet yet even voice. She knew that she wouldn’t win in a fight, he knew it too, but he hadn’t made a simple move towards her, so maybe he didn’t want a fight?

“Oh, a thought? And what thought was that?” His voice carried easily over the small distance between them. It was odd to see him not shouting, but even she could see that loudness wasn’t necessary right now. “I thought about walking on my hands to give my feet a rest, and the reactions I’d get from the other people if they saw it” There was a short pause before he laughed, and laugh he did, like he had never heard anything so funny. With his response she shifted her posture a little, so her back was straighter and less defensive. She smiled at his laugh; after all it had been literal years since anyone had laughed at her jokes. 

“What are you doing here cariño?” He spoke lightly, but his eyes became dark. “I came to wash the blood off” The girl replied, subconsciously lowering her head a little to protect her neck. “No no no, not this river, this island, what are you doing here?” His words were no longer light, they were sharp and now she thought she could see a fight starting. “My parents and I came here a long time ago on a raft, it is only me now” 

“A raft?”

“Apparently there was a storm on our cruise”

“So you came to my island on your raft?”

“Yes”

He became silent and openly stared at her. There was no humour or warmth coming from him so she bent her back into her defensive position, it would not take him long to pass the water and kill her, she could only hope to jump into a sprint before he had made his first step.

“It’s only you now?”

Fearing his reaction she only nodded, hoping to look smaller in the process.

“How long have you been alone?”

Making eye contact with a predator was always a bad idea, especially with tigers she recalled, but the suddenness of the question brought her eyes to his, she flinched and looked back to his boots within a moment. 

“They died before I became a woman”

Again silence fell upon them. Maybe she should just bolt before he even gets a chance to make up his mind about fighting her? Maybe she should go on the attack herself, maybe get a critical hit in and escape that way? Thoughts and plans raced through her mind. Previous hunts gone wrong drawing her attention to her memories, if he hunted like an island animal she might already have knowledge on how to get away. Maybe if she... 

“Loneliness is a killer, how did you live this long cariño?” He was serious as he spoke and he shifted so he was no longer leaning against the tree. Now he looked imposing and intimidating instead of simply threatening. 

“I watch... The blue people with their families, the red men” she nodded her head at him once to gesture that he was a red man “with their dogs and the animal herds when I am lonely”

She stared intensely at the dirt by his boots. She was not ashamed but the atmosphere around them made her feel insecure. Distant memories of playground bullying echoed in her mind, would he laugh at her?

“Get dressed pobrecito I want to take you to my camp”


	6. Chapter 6

Before she knew it she looked into his eyes. Dark and hooded they met hers and tore into her soul. An emotion so similar to grief seized her heart and she felt her face screw up into the beginnings of a sob.

“No sir, please don’t” Her voice was louder than expected and shocked the predator before her. “I can’t. No camps I can’t know what it is to be in one” Without realising it her arms began to wrap around her torso. This thing. This sinful want that she had longed for. Something her heart sang for in the deepest dreams. No. She couldn’t know what it was like. For fear of it being taken away from her again.

The man before her took a step forward arm already outstretched and immediately she snarled. Shoulders hunched and teeth bared, like the tigers. He stilled. She did not know if he meant to comfort her or hurt her but right now she knew if he tried to take her to his camp she’d kill him... or die trying. 

“Shh Cariño I will not force you” His voice was so soft. Softer than it was before, the quietest she had ever heard anyone speak. “Do not run from me Pequeño” While maintaining eye contact slowly he began to crouch. Without noise he sunk to her level and remained there. Mirroring her stance but with looser muscles. He did not feel threatened like she did. “You know, I had a sister” He began making it clear he was completely at ease to stay in this position for a while. “She was like the sun to me. Was warm and gave me life” His eyes never left hers but the small smile on his face made it clear he was paying more attention to his memory that he was to her. “We were so close that our village often thought we were the same person can you imagine?” He did not wait for an answer as he delicately moved his arm in an arch forcing her eyes to watch the motion. “The whole island was ours, we ruled it all, knew everything about it and I loved every second of it” He brought his arm back into his chest and rested his hand over his heart “Everyday was the same. The same duties the same faces one blur of activities like a repeating record.” His other hand slowly fell to the ground, his fingers parting the dirt in a gentle manner. “When she became a woman though... She betrayed me; the whole village betrayed me and cast me out”

Without warning the gentle hand caressing the earth became an iron fist and he threw his closed palm down into the ground a thin mist of dirt bursting into the air. Without thinking she, herself reached forward, like he did moments before, wanting to comfort him, handout stretched she balanced her body and leant forward closer to the red predator. 

There were no words between them as she moved a single step closer to him. At the water’s edge she stopped. Mindful of the changed terrain. She couldn’t cross the water for fear of him entrapping her. But her intent was clear and the wounded animal in front of her showed his appreciation by copying her actions. This was dangerous. One leap across the water and he’d have her. This was the first moment of trust she had ever experienced on the island. One wrong move and things, she feared, would sour beyond repair.

“Pobrecito I see myself in you. I will open my arms and embrace you as one of my own. Never again will you have to feel the coldness of it all” He made a second step towards her and she made no move to increase the distance between them. She peered into his eyes, looking closer at the subtle colours in them. Now he did not look like the red predator from the previous day. Now he looked like a human being.   
“I’m scared” She whispered, though the jungle seemed to favour them as the world around them seemed quiet and her words carried easily over the barrier between them.

His eyes became warm and something in her heart seemed to spark back to life “Cariño I will protect you from ...” Suddenly, as if the noise of the world sprang back into action fallen tree branches behind him broke and someone stumbled into the clearing. She mind supplied her with the knowledge of it being a red man but couldn’t confirm as she had already flew into her escape without hesitation. She did not hear the words uttered desperately by the intruder but she did hear the violent shouts of the red predator that overpowered the intruder’s weak words and dripped with venom. Still she ran and as she ran his voice grew quieter but the cracks in her heart spread. Her soul already poisoned by the possibilities the red predator was about to promise.


	7. Chapter 7

She flew across the earth. Logic too slow to keep up with her, she pushed herself forward with no direction. Adrenalin flooded her bloodstream, her muscles screamed but her brain silenced the cries. Onwards she ran, hardly even breathing. To any onlooker she would have simply been a blur. Any noise she made was masked by the animals around her that had fully woken up by now, if not by the red predators screaming. 

Birds above her ascended in panic at her passing, land mammals scattered before even catching her scent. Bizarrely, she reckoned she could even out run one of those colourful territorial birds, terrors she called them. She had no way of knowing how long she had ran, only knowing she had subconsciously kept the sun on her back as she ran, so at least she knew she hadn’t run in circles. 

Before too long she found herself in front of a river, huge boulders lined its edge and its white water usually would have scared her into thinking of a different path to take. But in her emotional, vulnerable state she didn’t hesitate to sprint into the cold waters. She trusted her body to survive it.

The shock of pins and needles forced its way into her senses. The water so cold it felt like it burnt. Chancing a glance over her shoulders she braced against the water and scanned the trees behind her. Just trees; no predators, no red men, no smoke or guns or dogs. But still, she couldn’t rest. She powered through the river getting as deep as her lowest ribs at one point. If the river bed wasn’t so rocky she would have been swept away. 

Suddenly, like the gods themselves moved her, she veered to the right, following the path of the water she had just crossed. Maybe getting to a cliff face or a beach could help her escape capture. The wetness on her naked skin cooled her and made her think of ghost whispers, aiding her in maintaining her adrenalin levels. Before too long she arrived at a cliff. If she studied it she would have been able to pin point her location. But she didn’t dare. She needed to make herself vanish. With moves so fluid a dancer would be jealous she sprinted towards the cliff edge. Sliding along the ground on her right leg as she approached its deadly edge she allowed a second to pass before she forced herself onto her stomach, using brute strength in her arms to slow her slide and managing to keep her torso on the cliff edge while her legs dangled precariously. She used both her arms and legs to scramble back onto the cliff ledge. Without even truly regaining her balance she crouched over her most recent tracks, using her hands she flattened the earth that showed her climbing away from death and scuttled backwards until the heels of her feet met the sparse grass. Here she changed her tactics. With softer hands she ruffled the grass she had flattened with her feet and continued backwards. Quickly looking over her shoulder she eyed a tree she could climb that could hide her in its canopy. In the same fashion as before she scuttled her way over to it, making sure to leave the grass in an undisturbed state. When her bare back met the gritty bark she began to climb, making sure to use her foot to rearrange the grass underneath her when all other limbs were in the act of climbing. With that done she scaled the tree.

Within the safety of the leaves she finally drew a full breath. Honestly, she was surprised she hadn’t vomited with how hard she had exerted herself. She lowered herself as far as she could between two branches and analysed her tracks. It looked like something large had run at the cliff and tried to stop itself before hurdling over the edge. Good, if the red men were trying to capture her they’d focus on getting some boats into the water down below instead of searching the trees for her. It was now that she wished she could traverse between the branches like monkeys did. But she had learnt they the branches were too thin and couldn’t support her body weight. Hopefully, the dash in the river had washed any scents away and even their dogs couldn’t find her. 

It was now that she truly realised the state she was in. In her escape she had bolted without any thought. She had no clothes, no hair band and most gut wrenching of all was the fact that she had left her knife behind. Tears formed in her eyes. It had been so long since she had first found that knife and she relied on it so heavily now. She was not so stupid as to have it as her only weapon, but her home made spears were in her cave as they were often more of a hindrance than helpful. If the situation allowed it she would have hit herself in frustration but she needed to be quiet. 

The red predator had found her once; she had a gut feeling he could do it again. Hell, almost anything on this island could track her right now; she hadn’t exactly been paying attention to where she was putting her hands and feet. 

Like the previous night she resigned herself to the fact that she would sleep in this tree. Subconsciously; her hand caressed her hip wanting so badly to suddenly find her knife hanging there. Being naked in itself didn’t bother her; the shade of the canopy protected her perfectly against the morning sun and would keep her protected against the afternoon sun too. But the knowledge that it wasn’t an animal she was hiding from gave her pause. The red men would be clothed and she wouldn’t. It was not a variable she liked. At least when she was clothed she could bluff having a hidden weapon, but like this she was so exposed. She tried not to think of the more violent tales the woman from the town shared in hushed voices when they thought they were alone. 

Much to her horror it didn’t take long for certain sounds to reach her ears. Within minutes it seemed she picked up the steady thump of boots against the jungle floor. With the dread becoming even heavier than before she tried to force her lungs into taking shallower breath, for fear that they would hear her before even entering the area around her tree. 

To her astonishment it wasn’t just the red predator who stepped into her vision. 5 red men in total all formed a loose semi circle facing the cliff edge. One red man so close he even rested his hand against the bark of her tree to catch his breath. 

The red predator stomped towards the cliff edge, not even caring about ruining the tracks she had made. He was out of breath but some part of her brain told her it wasn’t because of the physical exertion of chasing her across the island. No, this predator, he was livid. Taking a single silent moment the predator gazed across the waters below. Then raised his head so far back it must have hurt and let out such a strangled cry. Being so close caused her to tense so hard even her toe nails were making indentations in the branches they rested on, even the tough men below her openly flinched in fear. They all shared looks behind their brothers back and it almost seemed like the thought of running filtered through all of their minds at once. 

“Boss” one began, the one furthest away from her tree, soon to be cut off by a glare filled with so much hatred she crouched in submission. “Do you see what has happened here?” the red predator spat, moving slightly to the side of the tracks and pointing back into the forest “you see where the tracks go” moving his pointed hand along her marks to match his words “into the fucking water amigos... into the fucking water” He had shouted the last word snapping his head around once more to glare at the open water.

Beneath her one of the men dropped a bundle of what looked like dark fabric. Wait no, looking closer she could see the difference in colour, it was her clothes. If he had brought them surely he would have brought her knife too. A weight seemed to vanish almost instantly; if she had to drop from her perch at least she could attempt to get her knife back instead of just high tailing it back into the jungle. 

“Maybe she lived” The man still resting on her tree mumbled. Seeming to regret it immediately he tensed. Literally taking a step back when the red predator turned to face him. He opened his mouth venom ready to pour from his lips before he strangely let his tongue poke out from his teeth. Tongue still extended he began to smile; it reached his eyes and caused them to crinkle in a way that would have been called handsome if not for the atmosphere his expression caused. 

“Cariño, I know you’re there”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please dont kill me! I know its no excuse but my computer broke (apparently the battery that keeps the date and time correct is like super important, who knew XD)
> 
> Here is a chapter, just before christmas, so if you want to see it as a present feel free to ^^
> 
> This year has been hard on all of us, and i found myself coming back to read your comments and honestly it made me feel loved and finally im in a better mental place to indulge in my love for vaas and attempt to put some thoughts to paper. 
> 
> I wont promise an upload schedule. but i hope that you can still enjoy this little passion project of mine 
> 
> and hopefully i can get used to typing on a laptop! 
> 
> Thank you for the love and please enjoy this chapter :3

“cariño, I know you’re there”

She couldn’t breathe as their eyes seemed to meet through the canopy. Like before she knew he couldn’t see her but still her blood sang with adrenaline. The red man resting on her tree immediately froze, seeming to shrink in front of his brother. 

“Pobrecito, do not make me shoot you out of the fucking tree” His voice started soft but ended on a harsh note. Knowing she was found out had her startle. Faint memories of being scolded as a child resurfaced in her mind and she knew this moment couldn’t be passed off as insanity for the red predator. Knowing she couldn’t win a fight with the red men and assuming the red predator didn’t want to fight her she took a deep breath and began the painfully slow decent. The sound of her movement immediately caused the red man who was leaning on her tree to jump away from the trunk. 

Foreign words were exchanged quietly by the red men and all the guns were pointed at her as she became visible. The air was thick and the woman eyed up the bundle of clothes near her before making eye contact with the red predator. 

Now visible but still out of reach of the red men she stopped. Crouched on a thick branch that normally she wouldn’t have trusted with this kind of position she waited. The red predator seemed content with this though and he began to pace before the cliffs edge. “Hermano did you see how quickly she ran?” He said to the neared red man, his voice full of mirth and just like that the tension was broken. The men around her seemed to relax and began to joke about her escape. 

Still she did not move. Without her knife she was beyond vulnerable. Her eyes kept flicking between the red predator and the bundle only 2 meters away from her, She could fall and lunge for it, then sprint between the trees. Hell at this point the unknown waters below might be the better option. 

“Hermano move, the panther wants the clothes” The command was said in a light manner and yet that same tension was back. Without hesitation the red man closest to her tree moved even further away. This was her moment. With coiled muscles and a gut that screamed at her to move higher into the branches she let herself drop onto the floor. 

The impact rattled her body, but she did not roll this time, while there was space to do so she didn’t want to risk irritating the red predator. She had never been in this situation before nor had she seen other animals in a position like this, so she kept her crouch, kept her neck low and inched towards the bundle. The red predator continued his pacing and seemed gleeful when she reached the clothes. Immediately she moved the top layer to the side to hopefully uncover the knife. But while the jungle had blessed her yesterday today it did not seem so merciful. 

Her eyes found his and they were dark with humour. “You know, cariño, this knife was used to feed a man his brother” And like a camp fire in the night her eyes were drawn to her knife in his hand, held confidently and with familiar grip. “Its your knife?” She asked, even though the story didn’t connect with the grave she had found even she knew that cannibalism was a line many crossed when it came to life or death. The red predator hummed seemingly in thought and the woman took this time to finally dress, while she was aware the red men had looked at her it seemed her worn scarred body did not suit their fancy. She knew she didn’t look like the women that were occasionally brought to their camps. Keeping her back to the trees and her eyes on the red men she dressed quickly. While she didn’t feel more confident in her chances of survival she did feel more comfortable being one step closer to equal ground with the beasts around her. 

“It is blunt, do you not sharpen it?” The red predator askes quietly, still looking at the knife. Obviously it was important to him even if he didn’t visit the grave he marked it with. “It still slices flesh and the rocks I tried to sharpen it on only made it worse” Immediately, the red predator cringed and he spat out some words in that foreign language that made the red men laugh between themselves. Shame and anger immediately rose within the woman and the thought of simply rushing the red predator and grabbing the knife, damn the consequences, invaded her mind. 

The red predator tutted and crouched down to her level. “Cariño, you need a whet stone, I will give you one, its fucking disgusting the shape you’ve let this get to” His dismissive tone set her on her defences and her back straightened and tensed. Without realising it her mouth had formed into a silent snarl. The red man continued “You remember the grave where you found this knife yes?” He finally made eye contact with the woman and broke into a roar of a laugh “Hermanos she’s pissed!”

She had finally reached the end of her rope. Between the physical exhaustion of her body from all the sprinting, the cold water and a night hiding out in a tree and now the emotional whiplash from the red predators almost promise to his onslaught of insults, the girl had had enough. She knew she was close to crying and would not let these demons see that. Taking a breath to steady her voice she spoke quickly “Have it back then” She was not sure if her comment was heard over the laughter and the jokes of the red men but she didn’t care. Before her gut or her fears could catch up with her she darted towards the cliffs edge. With no hesitation and with the grace of her namesake she leapt from the edge and plummeted towards the crystal like blue water.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is for LittleMarimo and CuteVyper please enjoy <3

The drop was sudden and immediately both the worst and best decision she had ever made. Her entire body coiled in a desperate attempt to somehow salvage what it deemed to be a terrible mistake she had made. Time was endless and her mind shrunk into two thoughts. The first thought was the whimsical almost magical feeling of being weightless yet so small under the all-powerful pull of gravity. The suns light seemed brighter somehow and reflected so prettily across the vast expanse of crystal below her. This was a view she knew no one else had ever seen before. The wind whipped past her entire body, carrying her hair like a battle banner. She was soaring like a goddess and felt a fleeting sense of freedom. If she died this would be a fitting feeling to go out on. The second thought was that the water was fast approaching. While mesmerised by the view her body had slackened, her legs had straightened, and her arms had outstretched themselves trying to catch the air itself between clawed hands. She didn’t have time to think and with moments before impact she curled her arms around her ribs and took in a breath so large it hurt. In her descent she didn’t think to scream but as her body entered the water she had mind to remember to close her eyes. 

She didn’t know much of physics or water dynamics but shooting through the water felt natural. The speed at which she had entered the water allowed her to dive at least double her height under the calm surface. Thankfully the water here was deep and not like the shallow rock filled waters under other cliffs. The water itself wasn’t cold like the river, but when she opened her eyes she felt both the stinging sensation of salt and the depth of her decision. She knew of drowning and she knew more intimately of shark attacks. Living on the island with unlimited time didn’t leave her uneducated though. She was a strong swimmer and somewhat used to being underwater. She tried to settle her nerves as much as she could and focused on keeping her body still as to conserve oxygen. Looking around her, ignoring how some parts of her hair had settled around her field of vision she looked at her surroundings. If there were fish around her entrance had obviously scared them away. She pondered to herself, with the height she fell she reckoned even a shark would be scared. Raising her head to look at the sun through the water she felt all types of emotions but most of all she felt powerful. 

While she was safe and concealed under the water she did need to breathe and so she began her swim upwards. Breaking the surface, she immediately gasped and filled her lungs. Blinking her eyes and looking up she was not surprised to see all the red men peering over the ledge. The red predator himself was knelt half over with one hand hanging uselessly in the air. Maybe he had made an attempt to steal her from gravity’s grip? She didn’t care. The pure elation at not only making such a big leap but surviving said leap left her with little in terms of concern for her predators. Unable to contain herself she laughed. Much like the red predator it was loud and uncaring of those around her. With a new sense of confidence, she raised her hand above the water and curled all but her middle finger into a fist. She didn’t know what it meant but she knew it was an insult, she had seen the prisoners in the camps use this sign before they were beaten into obedience. Unsure if they could even see her gesture she filled her lungs and let out a shriek not unlike the great terrors themselves. Above her, the red predator answered her call with his own eagle like screech.

Feeling satisfied she had proven herself to be capable she dived under the water again and began to swim parallel to the cliff hoping around the corner would be a beach she could rest at. Her instinct told her he wouldn’t follow her path and so if he did continue to hunt her she had at least a few hours before he’d be able to trek across the jungle terrain to even get into the same area as her. 

Above her the red predator could not contain a grin. “Pantera has lungs hermanos” his brothers also seemed silenced by what just happened. “You lost your voice carlos?” He said cheekily to his nearest brother. The red man quickly looked between the red predator and the slowly disappearing figure of the woman below the water “Vaas what the fuck was that?” joy was injected in his tone at the sheer audacity of the moment. “I think that was her way of saying fuck off hermano” He mused, obviously both impressed and proud of such an escape. “Didn’t we drop that american kid off this cliff way back?” said another red man taking note of the environment and trying to find any key details in his memory to confirm his suspicions. “no no no amigo, this…” the red predator couldn’t help but chuckle “This is the cliff we pushed that banker man off, you remember him? His body washed up on Harmanse beach with half a face and no leg” the red predator looked off into to distance seemingly remembering good times. “Boss… what do we do about la niña?” a second brother asked, coincidentally the same one who leant against the panther’s tree. “Mi novia obviously doesn’t want to be followed niño” Standing quickly and placing a hand on his holster in a seemingly common stance the red predator took one last look at where he had last seen the woman before she swam both too deep and too far away for his eyes to pick up. Without warning his demeanour changed into one more serious and slightly pissed off. “Come, we still have business at the depot” The red predator spat turning his back to the sea and making his way back into the jungle.


End file.
